still too shaken to take in much new information. She turned around to face him again. “You have to let me go. I’m going to find out who did this to Michelle. Then I’m going to chase him down and shred him with my teeth.”
Lore gave her a startled look. “That’s usually my line.”
“Was that a joke? Because I’m completely serious.”
Lore looked her up and down, from her dainty boots, up the length of her tight jeans and the curves of her sweater. His eyes warmed at what he saw, suddenly becoming intimate. Despite everything, she felt a rush of heat under her skin.
His gaze finally made it to her face. “I’m trying to find the killer, remember? Telling me you’re going to bite your enemies probably isn’t smart.”
Talia’s cheeks burned, but his words focused her. She had to be careful. She had to think. “We want the same thing. We want to find out who did this.”
Not that she had any intention of working together. They’d just met, and she could tell by his expression that she wasn’t quite crossed off the suspect list.
“What do you know about that vampire who was in the building? Do you really think your sire sent him to drag you home?”
“I don’t know anything. It’s just a strong possibility.” Especially since Talia had not left empty-handed. Older vampires didn’t like banks. She bet Belenos used one now that he was missing a few million in neatly bundled stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
She really hoped the cops didn’t tear up the floorboards upstairs.
Chapter 11
Wednesday, December 29, 1:45 a.m.
Lore’s condo
S he was so damned beautiful, Lore felt himself struggling to keep his upper brain in charge. The hound part of him didn’t sweat things like murder and interspecies differences. It liked the little brain much better. Female. Pretty. Soft .
The part of him that could still string thoughts together realized that this was the first time Talia seemed open to conversation. Now was the opportunity to question her.
“Baines invited me into the crime scene,” he said, doing a reasonable imitation of a rational being.
Her expression had gone from angry to thoughtful. “What did you find out?”
“I found out that you’re a teacher.” He gave a slight smile. “That’s a very honored profession among my people.”
She looked down, as if shy all of a sudden. This was obviously important to her. “I used to teach in a private high school. Now I tutor first- and second-year literature. My classes are online distance education.” She grimaced. “That way I can’t eat my students.”
The sudden regret in her voice made him flinch. She raised her gaze to him, her guarded expression slipping a little. Her eyes were a striking bronze color. The shade reminded him of a hawk’s—neither brown nor gold, with a hint of green rimming the iris. They’d probably been hazel when she was alive, but once a vampire tasted living blood, their eyes took on a metallic cast. It was an easy way to pick them out of a crowd.
Lore held that gaze. Hellhounds were safe from the Undead’s hypnotic powers, and he felt compelled to prove it. Maybe to her, maybe to himself. He wasn’t sure. He was too aware of her, and needed to control the situation. “You know Latin, don’t you?”
“Yes. Why?”
“There was a Latin word written on the wall. A symbol was painted over it in blood.”
She looked startled. “Huh?”
“Someone wrote on the wall in Latin.”
“What for?” Bewilderment filled her features.
“Could it have had anything to do with Michelle?”
“No. Latin wasn’t her thing. I’m the geek.” Pinkish tears filled her eyes. She swallowed convulsively. “I can’t talk about her right now. Not if you want me to make sense.”
She swallowed again. “What did the words say?”
Lore’s hands twitched at his sides. He wanted to comfort her, but holding her against him would shut down his thought processes once and for all. The questioning would end,
Lore gave her a startled look. “That’s usually my line.”
“Was that a joke? Because I’m completely serious.”
Lore looked her up and down, from her dainty boots, up the length of her tight jeans and the curves of her sweater. His eyes warmed at what he saw, suddenly becoming intimate. Despite everything, she felt a rush of heat under her skin.
His gaze finally made it to her face. “I’m trying to find the killer, remember? Telling me you’re going to bite your enemies probably isn’t smart.”
Talia’s cheeks burned, but his words focused her. She had to be careful. She had to think. “We want the same thing. We want to find out who did this.”
Not that she had any intention of working together. They’d just met, and she could tell by his expression that she wasn’t quite crossed off the suspect list.
“What do you know about that vampire who was in the building? Do you really think your sire sent him to drag you home?”
“I don’t know anything. It’s just a strong possibility.” Especially since Talia had not left empty-handed. Older vampires didn’t like banks. She bet Belenos used one now that he was missing a few million in neatly bundled stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
She really hoped the cops didn’t tear up the floorboards upstairs.
Chapter 11
Wednesday, December 29, 1:45 a.m.
Lore’s condo
S he was so damned beautiful, Lore felt himself struggling to keep his upper brain in charge. The hound part of him didn’t sweat things like murder and interspecies differences. It liked the little brain much better. Female. Pretty. Soft .
The part of him that could still string thoughts together realized that this was the first time Talia seemed open to conversation. Now was the opportunity to question her.
“Baines invited me into the crime scene,” he said, doing a reasonable imitation of a rational being.
Her expression had gone from angry to thoughtful. “What did you find out?”
“I found out that you’re a teacher.” He gave a slight smile. “That’s a very honored profession among my people.”
She looked down, as if shy all of a sudden. This was obviously important to her. “I used to teach in a private high school. Now I tutor first- and second-year literature. My classes are online distance education.” She grimaced. “That way I can’t eat my students.”
The sudden regret in her voice made him flinch. She raised her gaze to him, her guarded expression slipping a little. Her eyes were a striking bronze color. The shade reminded him of a hawk’s—neither brown nor gold, with a hint of green rimming the iris. They’d probably been hazel when she was alive, but once a vampire tasted living blood, their eyes took on a metallic cast. It was an easy way to pick them out of a crowd.
Lore held that gaze. Hellhounds were safe from the Undead’s hypnotic powers, and he felt compelled to prove it. Maybe to her, maybe to himself. He wasn’t sure. He was too aware of her, and needed to control the situation. “You know Latin, don’t you?”
“Yes. Why?”
“There was a Latin word written on the wall. A symbol was painted over it in blood.”
She looked startled. “Huh?”
“Someone wrote on the wall in Latin.”
“What for?” Bewilderment filled her features.
“Could it have had anything to do with Michelle?”
“No. Latin wasn’t her thing. I’m the geek.” Pinkish tears filled her eyes. She swallowed convulsively. “I can’t talk about her right now. Not if you want me to make sense.”
She swallowed again. “What did the words say?”
Lore’s hands twitched at his sides. He wanted to comfort her, but holding her against him would shut down his thought processes once and for all. The questioning would end,
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